Since its beginning in the spring of 2014, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has revealed the inability of local governments and civilian administrations to operate effectively during intense hostilities. The local self-government bodies did not resume operation even after most of these territories were taken under control by the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) forces in the summer of 2014. To solve the issue the Law of Ukraine “On Military Civil Administrations,” was adopted and the first 14 MCAs were established in Luhansk and Donetsk regions on 5 March 2015 by Presidential Decree. Although initially the establishment of MCAs was considered “a temporary forced measure,” in subsequent years their number has increased. How successful has been this practice of replacing the collegial bodies of local self-government with military-civil administration? Has the institution of MCAs helped deal with the challenges of the wartime period? How effective have these administrations been during a stable ceasefire? We attempt to answer these questions in the following report which is based on the findings from a field monitoring mission undertaken between 13 and 18 May 2019 by DRA, a German NGO, and VOSTOK-SOS, a Ukrainian charitable foundation.
To read the report in Russian, please follow the link
To read the Report in English, please follow the link
